Saturday 3 February 2024

Easter Weekend in Krakow


Easter in Krakow in a lot of ways is a more important festival than Christmas. Travellers need to be aware though that from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, locals will not be knocking about in the bars and restaurants, and things take on a more subdued air. Don’t bother with any travel plans, especially Easter Sunday as only the most basic of timetables will be operating – if at all. Also, be aware that the opening times of attractions, bars and restaurants may also all be affected.
Oscypek smoked mountain cheese on sale in the Easter market
Kraków Easter Market
However, don’t be put off visiting the city as the superb Easter market on the main square certainly rivals the Christmas one, the weather may turn distinctly spring-like and warm, and the sensation of having emerged from the chill of winter just has to celebrated. If you are a sucker for decorating your house for Christmas, you will absolutely love trawling the stalls for Easter trinkets, bunnies, pussy willows and tulips to usher in the spirit of spring.




Easter Market goodies
In terms of the traditional meaning of the festival, it kicks off with Palm Sunday and you will witness the locals purchasing elaborate hand woven palms made from dried flowers and plants. They are taken to church to be blessed then taken home to be put up as decorations.
Easter decorations
Good Friday involves a visit to a church and fasting which involves only two meals and absolutely no meat.
Easter baskets
On Easter Saturday you will witness everyone – man, woman, child – strolling to church carrying a traditional woven basket. In it there will be bread, eggs, ham, sausages, cake, salt and a piece of horseradish to have them blessed by the priest. Each of these have symbolic meaning. Bread is the body of Christ, eggs and meat symbolise new life, salt chases away the bad spirits, cake is for the skills to face the coming year and horseradish is for physical strength. You might even see children eagerly carrying a sachet of cat food to be blessed in their little baskets so that the family pet can join in the Easter festivities. On a more sombre note, a visit to a church or chapel will reveal the “Grave of Jesus” which is often a life sized Christ lying dead amongst flowers and candles.
Painted eggs feature prominently and their significance goes back to pagan times. They are known as pisanski eggs and symbolise fertility and rebirth. You can find out more about this fascinating tradition here.
Painted ppisanski eggs at the Easter market
Easter Sunday is a family affair and the pinnacle of the “Great Week” build up. Families feast on the foods from the Easter baskets blessed the previous day. In addition żurek (fermented rye soup) and mazurek (decorative pie) are consumed. Painted eggs also once again feature and the table will be decorated with a ram made of dough which symbolises the resurrection of Christ.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in Poland so once again, travellers take note. However, the Easter celebrations take on a much more joyous air. It is the day of “smingus-dyngus” which involves drenching each other with water – usually by buckets or water pistols. Be warned – tourists are not exempt from drenching! Krakow is a good location though to be in for Easter Monday because it hosts the Emaus fair. For this, make your way to Zwierzyniec to the convent of St. Norbert's Premonstratensian Order, more commonly known as the Norbertine Monastery.  Located on ul. Kościuszki 88, Salwator, a fair is located here with stalls selling clay bells (to guard against evil spirits), model birds (to represent souls) and a pile of tat for kids. Be warned, the stalls here really do overfow with trinkets for kiddies and not much else!
Yet again, being in Krakow is a bonus on Easter Tuesday. The traditions on this day move to the Podgórze area of the city to the Krakus Mound and the nearby St. Benedicts church on top of Lasota hill for the Rekawka Festival. This is centuries old, and is rooted in the pagan tradition of honouring the dead. It has been resurrected as a medieval festival with a bonfire, stalls, fun and games all round. The actual name Rekawka (Sleeve Festival) comes from the legend that apparently noblemen and peasants filled up their sleeves with soil and dumped it onto this site. This built up over time to create an artificial mountain to dominate the landscape – this is now the present day Krakus Mound. This is definitely worth a visit since due to its dominant position on this hill, the view from the top offers a great panorama over the city.
St. Benedicts Church

Krakus Mound

Monday 6 November 2023

Going Krackers for Christmas in Krakow

Typical Krakow Christmas Market stalls (see bottom of post for picture attribution)
Polish cheese stall Krakow Christmas market
























Travel forums are often littered at this time of year with people asking for advice on whether the Christmas market of a particular city is worth visiting, and Krakow often features within this. 
Just about everywhere now seems to offer Christmas markets and, certainly in the UK they are more often than not referred to as German markets.
So, what is the Krakow market like during the festive period and is it worth booking a trip especially to visit it?

Meaty offerings - Krakow Christmas market
Festive scenes at the Wawel, Krakow
Having not perused every Christmas Market in every European city - I am no expert. However, what can be said in Krakow’s favour is that it has the luxury of one of the largest central squares in Europe in which to set it up. The spikey gothic columns of the St Mary’s Basilica and the chocolate box baroque buildings offer an atmospheric backdrop that many cities would envy. What also goes in its favour is that it runs in tandem with some pretty old festive Polish traditions which lend an air of authenticity to the atmosphere. In addition of course, there is the Polish climate which often obliges with some of the white stuff to dust the quant wooden huts and stalls. What could be better than sauntering amongst the smells of barbequeing sausages, mulled wine and sugary treats to the sound of gentle carolling by children and a sprinkling of fresh snow?
Christmas vibes on Krakow's main square

The market itself is usually set up and running by the end of November and will continue until the end of December (a portion of it remains beyond this date into the New Year period on one half of the square). This is because the 6th of January is Dzień Trzech Króli (Three Kings Day - Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar) which is an official holiday with compulsory Mass. So in a lot of ways, Krakow’s Christmas may well last a lot longer than other cities. In fact, the tree and decorations will remain beyond the end of January, officially until the 2nd of February.
Festive, wintry Krakow at Christmas
To get things really underway in Krakow, there is the annual Krakow's Szopka parade (Christmas Cribs). These are ornate nativity scenes/mini theatres which are handmade. To look at, they often seem to be small replicas of Krakow buildings (most notably St Mary’s Baslica) which are decorated to look shiny and festive. In fact, they are so well made and intricate, it is difficult to believe they are actually hand crafted. Traditionally, they were made by masons whose work in the autumn had been curtailed by the weather and helped them while away the idle days. They really are pretty impressive though, and the best time to view them is the first Thursday of December where the crib constructors display their creations around the statue of Adam Mickiewicz in the Rynek (main square). The best are chosen to go on display in the City of Krakow Historical Museum at number 35 the Main Square (where you can also view the most impressive cribs from over the decades on show). Next to this is the superb art nouveau Europejska cafe which would be a wonderfully atmospheric place to take a rest from all the festivities.

Krakow Christmas Szopka
Picture by user:cancre CC BY-SA 2.5
Next on the festive calendar is December 6th. This is because in Poland this is Santa’s Name Day (Mikołaj - Nicholas) and therefore all the children in the city receive gifts from him at this point in the festive calendar. The tradition goes that children leave St Nick a letter on their windowsill on the night of the 5th for him to pick up and leave their requested gift behind the next morning.
Although the build up to Christmas Day itself – Adwent - is supposed to be a time of refraining from alcohol, partying and drinking, there is little evidence of this happening at the Christmas market. The organisers must simply assume there will be enough heathens and tourist gluttons to cater for on a giant scale to make it all worthwhile. There are vast wooden barrels from which lashings of grazniec (Polish mulled wine - pronounced Gshzah-nee-ets) are served. (Recipe for  grazniec) This is powerful stuff and I am always convinced that a sneaky shot of vodka gets slopped into it. Still, it is just the ticket for lending a euphoric air to staggering amongst the brightly lit trinket stalls. Additionally, the Poles uniquely also have a liking for mulled beer! Good luck with that – not to my taste I am afraid.
Classy festive trinkets for sale in the Krakow Christmas Market
Long wintry shadows on the Market Square
When the 24th itself arrives, children eagerly search for the first star appearing in the sky as darkness falls. When it does, it signals the start of an almighty 12 course feast for families. Traditionally, the festive table should have straw under the cloth (symbolises the manger Jesus lay in), an extra place should be set at the table for any stray travellers who might knock on your door (scary thought), Jesus himself or – one of your dead relatives (even more scary!). Once the feast is over, presents are shared and then many will venture out to attend midnight mass. Christmas Day itself is not as important as Christmas Eve, but still involves visiting family and friends for food and alcohol.
One festive site not to miss is the huge nativity diorama found in the Bernadine Church at the foot of the Wawel. It takes from mid-November to set up and consists of a vast scene of traditional village cabins, workshops and and farms which have moving parts. It is quite a wonder and harks back to a bygone sense of Christmas largely missing from the commercial version of the occasion we all usually experience.
Bernadine Church Nativity Diorama
Nativity diorama

Nativity diorama
Nativity diorama



















































The festive atmosphere continues into New Year (Sylwester). New Years Eve offers a variety of options for visitors. It is traditional to have a nice meal with most restaurants offering special menus for the occasion (book in advance). The Krakow Philharmonic offers gala concerts with Strauss favourites amongst other familiar tunes. Fireworks are in abundance at midnight and then there are numerous options to dance the night away into the early morning! 

New Year's Eve at the Christmas market

Krakow Philharmonic New Year Gala Concert
Plac Nowy New Year
An alternative option to bringing in the New Year on the main square is to make your way to Plac Nowy in Kazimierz Jewish district for more bohemian vibes.
Impressive stage for the New Year's  Eve concert being assembled in the main square in Krakow
So, all considered, go ahead and visit Krakow for the Christmas Market. It is wonderfully atmospheric and most importantly, authentic. As a bonus though, you will be absorbing the yuletide, winter season of one of the most vibrant cities in Europe. Just remember to pack your thermals!
Snow, frozen rivers, castles and Christmas - what more could you want?
Three Kings Day in Krakow - Dzień Trzech Króli (6th January)

Christmas stalls picture at top of post attributed to:- Silar Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported






Wednesday 19 July 2023

Zakrzówek swimming and other tips for cooling down

 

















With the heatwave in full swing over much of Europe, Krakow, like many other destinations has been sizzling in temperatures of over 30 degrees. For many, heat like this is hard to suffer in a city environment with no coastal beaches to retreat to. So where can you go to cool down? Zakrzówek swimming pools are the answer!

















Zakrzówek is easy to walk to from the city centre (roughly about a 30 minute walk) but it can be accessed by tram to the nearest stop at Norymberska,. 
It consists of a huge quarry area that Pope John Paul II laboured in during WW2. Apparently over enthusiastic quarrying meant the water table was punctured and the quarry flooded with fresh, pure spring water. Today, five floating swimming areas of various depths are open to the public along with life guards in the quarry. In addition, there are some changing rooms, toilets and food trucks serving chips, beer and coffee. They are open from Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday for maintenance) and are free to access. The lovely fresh water is wonderful in the sweltering summer heat. Be sure to bring your own towels/seating etc as there is only wooden decking for sitting or lying on.

In addition to swimming, there are walkways, viewpoints and cycle trails around the quarry. There is also a sports centre and diving school which has yet to reopen.


















Fancy cooling down on a more conventional beach setting? The Bagry lake may be what you are looking for. Situated in the Płaszów district, it is a fresh water lake with two large beach areas. During the summer holidays life guards are on duty and the water quality is frequently tested. In addition there is a seasonal food truck park, toilets, changing areas, outdoor showers and a small beach bar. If you don't fancy swimming, there are two marinas, two sailing schools, wakeboarding, pedaloes, paddle boards and kayaks for hire at very reasonable prices.
The landscaped area surrounding the main beach area also has hammocks, sun loungers, barbeque areas and volleyball courts.


















You can get to the Bagry by taxi or the 127 bus goes directly there.
Find out more with this link.